At the January 24, 2015 Homeless Stand Down, NEOCH Board and staff members collected surveys from those who attending asking two simple questions. The first question (A) was “What is your New Year’s Resolution for 2015? The second question (B) was, “If you had a chance to sit down with the Mayor of Cleveland and he asked you, ‘What is the most important priority for him to reduce the number of homeless people locally,’ what would you tell him?” Overall for New Year’s Resolutions we had 25% wanted to find housing, 19% wanted to find a job or income, 12% wanted to improve themselves or their condition, 7% wanted to quit smoking, 6% wanted to complete school, and 6% wanted to get or remain sober, and there rest were other resolutions. On the question from the Mayor, 33% wanted more housing, lower rents or converting abandoned houses to usable homes. 7% wanted the Mayor to build more shelters and 19% wanted more jobs created. Here are some of the best responses

1A My personal resolution is to make some of the shelters a better place to live.

1B Build more communities for homeless people.

(No name)

2A Get a job, take care of my kids better, and get my backyard straight

2B Have more jobs that help people with a messed up background, pay more on jobs, and get more funding for the people.

(No name)

3A To take the steps that I need to take, to get where I need to be. (keep “God”

1st.)

3B Housing for the homeless people. No one man or woman should be

homeless.

(Speak Truth)

4A Find employment, get housing and help others like me. Become a vendor of

the Chronicle.

4B Help those who fall through the cracks, alcoholics, drug-users, and those

unable to work but can’t get disability.

(Big Bob)

5A To complete school and get my degree.

5B To open more shelters.

(Denise)

6A My personal resolution for 2015 is to finish school, have my own house for

me and my family.

6B I would say help homeless find housing, clothing, food and etc.

(No name)

7A To try to move with people who need it as I do. We all need help.

7B Take all abandon houses and rehab thin and donate them so our homeless

(Storer).

8A To open my own dress shop and get my Master’s in Global Management.

8B I think that he could provide more jobs.

(Lady Faith)

9A Get out of the homeless shelter.

9B Lower the rent in apartments. Put more jobs out there.

(Amanda)

10A Find stable employment & housing.

10B Create better and more jobs.

(Shameeka H)

11A Getting my own home and being with my family.

11B Lower the rent in houses and apartments. Job interviews for anybody.

(Tee Tee)

12A Find housing.

12B Expand mental health services for the homeless.

(Brad)

13A Find me my own apartment and find me a job. Stay clean and sober.

13B More jobs, get the drugs off the streets.

(J.T. Money)

14A Get a Job, and some counseling

14B Helping those with felonies get jobs.

(Arnold M)

15A Try to happier

15B More localized community work programs like clean-up crews and general maintenance of parts by the local citizens for a fair wage that don’t and can’t find work Including the mentally ill.

(Catman)

16A Find a job and a place to live as well as remaining sober.

16B Speak to the homeless and allocate more funds to their care.

(A.L)

17A Open my own business.

17B Open up closed building to those who wants help.

(Antwon M.)

18A Quit smoking, housing and employments.

18B More housing options and less criteria to be approved.

(GUEISHA)

19A To get control of diabetics.

19B more jobs for the disabled.

(LEE)

20A Be more thoughtful, giving, quit smoking.

20B Open some of the boarded up, abandon buildings, get government funding, make rooming houses.

(C.J)

21A Get my disability and housing. If I’m lucky enough to get disability, I’m going to Kentucky.

21B Spend one night at 2100 Lakeside shelter and you will know.

(EDWARD)

22A Is to become a better person than I was last year.

22B Create more housing, job opportunities and social connections. Also have support groups or services for those whose wants to help people stay focused, encouraged and motivated.

(Super mutt)

23A Remain drug free and find employment.

23B Provide incentives to employers who hire felons and perhaps some type of bond on the employers for 1st year of employment.